THE ACADEMY CELEBRATES GAME-CHANGING “TOY STORY” 20TH ANNIVERSARY

WITH JOHN LASSETER AND ED CATMULL , Jon Favreau to moderate panel discussion

LOS ANGELES, CA – Oscar® winners John Lasseter, the Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, and Ed Catmull, the studios’ President, will take the stage in a live panel discussion celebrating “Toy Story,” the world’s first entirely computer-animated feature film, on Thursday, October 1, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Twenty years after they collaborated on the game-changing film, Lasseter, the film’s director and co-writer, and Catmull, its executive producer and the creator of the revolutionary digital animation program that made “Toy Story” possible, will share behind-the-scenes stories about the myriad challenges they faced as they imagined, invented and problem-solved their way into motion picture history. Actor-director Jon Favreau will moderate the panel, which will feature additional guests to be announced.

Pixar Animation Studios, founded in 1986, was at the vanguard of the computer animation revolution that blurred the lines between art and technology. “Toy Story” was the company’s first feature film, after years of creating revolutionary software, animated logos and television commercials with Lasseter and Catmull leading the way. The film earned Oscar nominations for Original Song, Original Musical or Comedy Score, and Original Screenplay (the first for an animated film); Lasseter shared in the screenplay nomination as well as received a Special Achievement Award for his inspired leadership of the filmmaking team. Catmull went on to receive an Oscar for his contributions to RenderMan, the software that was instrumental to the creation of “Toy Story” and the countless computer-animated films that followed.

Tickets for “Toy Story: 20 Years of Being an Animation Game-Changer” are $5 for general admission and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID, and may be purchased online at www.oscars.org starting September 16. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.